•Avenues Gang Investigation and Prosecution
U.S. Attorneys, ATF, DEA, IRS, LAPD and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for the comprehensive strategy to investigate and prosecute the well known racist Avenues Gang, which had terrorized residents and businesses in northeastern Los Angeles for decades.

•Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Homicide and Gang Units for the prosecution of Orange County’s most notorious white racist gangs, most recently Public Enemy Number One (PEN1).

•The SHARE Tolerance Program
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for the SHARE Tolerance Program that utilizes uniformed officers and a mobile learning center to bring a message of tolerance to schools and communities.

Many high-ranking members of law enforcement community from throughout Southern California will be in attendance. See attached description of COMPELLING stories of why these groups are being honored. (more)

ADL Sherwood Prize – Page 2

ADL Sherwood Prize for Combating Hate

Group Award Honorees
Avenues Gang Investigation and Prosecution
The Avenues gang, a notoriously racist organization, terrorized residents and businesses in northeastern Los Angeles for decades. One neighborhood, Drew-Estara, had become so dangerous that responding officers were frequently attacked with assault rifles upon entering the area. Working together, local and federal law enforcement agencies developed a comprehensive strategy to destroy the Avenues gang as well as ensure that its culture of hatred and racism would be removed from the streets.

Varrio Hawaiian Gardens Gang Task Force “Operation Knockout”
The 14 core members of the task force were responsible for “Operation Knockout,” a collaborative effort to dismantle the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens (VHG) gang. The VHG gang was responsible for numerous vicious attacks on African-Americans. Years of investigation and interdepartmental cooperation culminated in 210 indictments and effectively destroyed the gang.

United States Attorney’s Office Internal Revenue Service
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Lowe Special Agent Willie Castro

(*Posthumously) Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Homicide and Gang Units
Three attorneys have worked for years to prosecute Orange County’s most notorious white racist gangs. The unit’s efforts against gangs like PEN1 and others have brought about numerous convictions, a wealth of knowledge about gang activities and a greater understanding of how to defeat racist gangs locally and nationally.

The SHARE Tolerance Program
Introduced in 2008, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s SHARE (Stop Hate and Respect Everyone) Tolerance Program has been an important instrument in the fight against hate crimes and bigotry. The program utilizes uniformed officers and a mobile learning center to bring a message of tolerance to schools and communities. Since the implementation of the SHARE Tolerance program, over 8000 high school students have participated in group discussions about the evils of intolerance and bigotry.

The Helene and Joseph Sherwood Family Prize recognizes law enforcement officers, units, agencies or programs that:

•Demonstrated an outstanding commitment to combating extremism, bigotry and hatred by performing acts outside the normal scope of duties.
•Made an impact on victims of hate crimes or bias-motivated incidents.
•Provided opportunities for education to reduce hate crimes and bias motivated activity.
•Used innovative approaches to enforce or prosecute hate crime laws.
•Made a significant difference in their community and served as a role model for his or her agency.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
Visit our website at www.adl.org / www.adl.org/pacific-southwest